Gloucester bike thief caught and sentenced within 24 hours

A bike thief in Gloucester appeared in court charged with theft within 24 hours of committing the offences.

Jimi Southern, aged 24, and of Matson Lane, Matson, was caught on CCTV stealing bikes from a garden at a property in the city on Monday night (28 June).

He was reported to police after being spotted repeatedly returning to his property with various different pedal bikes during the course of the evening.

Officers from Gloucester Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) were already made aware of two linked incidents which had seen three bikes being taken.

NPT officers spoke to the victim to get statements and CCTV footage, which showed Southern return home with the stolen bikes eight minutes after he is seen stealing them on camera.

Integrated Offender Management Officers also made contact with Southern about his suspicious behaviour, and discovered that he had been breaching a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO).

Following an interview, Southern was charged with two breaches of a CBO and three counts of theft of a pedal cycle. 

He pleaded guilty when he appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates Court yesterday (29 June) and was given a 15 month community order with a drug rehabilitation requirement. He was also ordered to pay £590 compensation to the victim.